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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Scott County School District 2 School Board

2 seats on the Scott County School District 2 school corporation's board are on this year's ballot, with one name on it. Which seats appear on your ballot depends on where in the corporation you live.

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What a school board does

A school board is the elected or appointed governing body of a public school corporation, the legal unit that runs a local school district [1, 2]. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts policies, and approves the annual budget, while the superintendent and staff run schools day to day [3]. Most boards have five or seven members serving staggered four-year terms [3]. Starting in 2026, candidates may list a political party, run as independents, or list no affiliation on the ballot, and there is no primary for these seats [2, 4].

Term
4 years, with elections staggered so part of the board is chosen every two years [3]
Elected
At the November general election (November 3, 2026, or November 2028 for some seats); depending on the local organization plan, members represent the whole school corporation (at large) or a district within it, and some boards are wholly or partly appointed [2]
Ballot label
Each candidate chooses a party label, 'Independent', or no affiliation, shown next to the name; no primary and no straight-ticket voting for these races [2, 4]
Pay
Set by board resolution: an annual amount of no more than 10% of the lowest starting teacher salary in the school corporation, plus a capped per diem [5]
On the 2026 ballot
632 races in 276 school corporations; 1,035 candidates, 197 races contested [6]
What the law puts in this job (12)
  • Hires, evaluates and can dismiss the superintendent, and approves the hiring and firing of principals, teachers and other staff recommended by the superintendent [1, 7, 3].
  • Adopts the annual budget, appropriates funds and oversees school finances [1, 3].
  • Decides whether to ask voters to approve an operating referendum (an extra property tax levy); the board adopts the resolution and the Department of Local Government Finance reviews the ballot language for compliance with state law [8].
  • Approves contracts, buys and sells property, and decides on construction, repair and demolition of school buildings [1].
  • Bargains with the teachers' union over salary, wages and wage-related benefits such as health insurance and retirement; state law excludes teacher evaluation procedures from those bargaining subjects [9].
  • Writes and updates policies and rules for schools, often in a policy handbook, including the student handbook [1, 3].
  • Buys curricular materials, provides them to students without charge, and runs programs such as student transportation and school lunch [1].
  • Must adopt a process for parents and residents to ask that library material be removed as obscene or harmful to minors, review requests at public meetings and keep a public catalog of library materials [10].
  • Hears written appeals of student expulsions, unless the board has voted not to hear them [11].
  • Must take official action openly; Indiana's Open Door Law says public agencies' official action is to be conducted openly so the people may be fully informed [12, 13].
  • A school board member must have lived in the school corporation (and, for a district seat, the district) for at least one year before the election, and a teacher or other employee of the school corporation may not serve on its board [2].
  • What the board does not control: the State Board of Education adopts statewide academic standards [14], the General Assembly sets the state school funding formula in the state budget [15], and voucher (Choice Scholarship) eligibility is set by state law [16].

The job in full — what the Indiana Code puts in it, what it pays, and what to ask a candidate.

What has changed in this job lately

Changes in the law the next officeholder will work under, most distant first.

  1. 2025

    Senate Enrolled Act 287 allowed school board candidates to declare a party affiliation; the Indiana School Boards Association opposed the change, and a supporter quoted by WNDU, a Noblesville school board member, said it adds transparency [17].

  2. 2026

    Candidates choose a party, 'Independent' or no affiliation on their nominating petition, and that choice appears on the ballot; a candidate claiming the Democratic or Republican party must have voted in that party's primary in the two most recent primaries they voted in, or have certification from the county party chair, or can be challenged and removed from the ballot [2].

  3. July 2026

    Chalkbeat reported, citing Indiana School Boards Association data, that 524 of 1,044 candidates chose a party, about 72% of them Republicans [18]; the Indiana Election Division's 2026 guidance and the wording of the law differ on the primary-voting test, a question county election boards decide [19].

  4. February 2026

    Senate Enrolled Act 25 set the order of school board candidates on the ballot, grouped by party, with candidates who list no affiliation placed after the party and independent candidates [20].

  5. 2025

    Senate Enrolled Act 1, a property tax law, limits how much operating revenue districts can raise through taxes and restricts school referendums to statewide general elections in even-numbered years [21, 22].

  6. 2025

    The same law requires districts to share operating revenue with brick-and-mortar charter schools that enroll their students, statewide starting in 2028 [21, 22].

  7. 2025

    The state budget opened Choice Scholarship vouchers to all Indiana families starting in June 2026 [16].

  8. 2026

    The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, rather than the Indianapolis Public Schools board, now certifies Indianapolis Public Schools referendum questions for the ballot [20].

  9. 2023

    Senate Enrolled Act 391 changed the so-called $1 law so the Indiana Department of Education can order districts that lost at least 10% of enrollment over five years to close schools under 60% capacity and offer them to charter schools [23].

  10. 2023

    House Enrolled Act 1447 required school districts to set up procedures for complaints that library material is obscene or harmful to minors [10].

About the Scott County School District 2 corporation

  • The district: Scott County School District 2 is based in Scottsburg; its schools include Lexington Elementary and Vienna-Finley Elementary [24]. State enrollment counts were 2,634 students in 2018-19 and 2,538 in 2025-26 [25]. Scott County School District 1 (Austin) is a separate corporation with its own board race.
  • The board: five trustees. The district lists Jennifer Craig (president, term expires December 2026), Melissa Woods (vice president, term expires December 2028), Rick Zollman (secretary, term expires December 2028), Andrea Soloe (assistant secretary, term expires December 2026) and Dustin McIntosh (term expires December 2028) [24]. The district's page does not say which township seat each member holds.
  • Seats on the 2026 ballot: two, the Lexington Township seat and the Vienna Township (county seat) seat [6]. Two current members have terms ending in December 2026: Craig and Soloe [24].
  • Vienna Township: no candidate qualified for the printed ballot. Three people filed declarations as write-in candidates in August 2026: Coty Bowen, Jennifer Craig and Monty Craig, all without a party [6]. Voters choosing one of them must write the name in. Jennifer Craig shares her name with the current board president [24].
  • Lexington Township: Brandon Shields is the only candidate, so the race is uncontested [6]. Andrea Soloe, whose term ends in December 2026, is not on the state list [6, 24]; this guide did not confirm that she holds the Lexington Township seat.
  • Party labels: all four candidates are listed without a party (Nonpartisan) [6].
  • Referendum and budget: Scott County School District 2 is not among the districts with a school tax referendum on the November 2026 ballot [26]. This guide found no public statement from the board on how the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) affects its budget.
  • Forums: this guide found no 2026 candidate forum, questionnaire or news coverage of these races, and no public explanation of why the Vienna Township seat has no printed-ballot candidate.

Scott County School Board, District 2, Lexington Township

Unopposed

Brandon Shields

Nonpartisan

Only candidate for the Lexington Township seat; listed as Nonpartisan [6].

How Shields got on the ballot

  • Filed June 18, 2026 without declaring a party [6].
  • Unopposed [6].

What we could not find about Shields

  • No candidate website, questionnaire response, forum remarks or public statement of positions was found; coverage found so far is limited to the state candidate list.
  • He is not listed among current board members [24].
  • No background was found in fetched sources.
  • No campaign finance report or endorsements were found in fetched sources.

Sources for Shields

Scott County School Board, District 2, Vienna Township (County Seat)

No candidates listed yet · 3 declared write-ins · Write-in candidates must be written in by name.

Declared write-in candidates

Coty Bowen

NonpartisanWrite-in

Declared write-in candidate for the Vienna Township seat; listed as Nonpartisan [6].

How Bowen got on the ballot

  • Filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate on Aug. 20, 2026, without declaring a party [6].
  • The name will not be printed on the ballot; voters must write it in [6].

What we could not find about Bowen

  • No candidate website, questionnaire response, forum remarks or public statement of positions was found; coverage found so far is limited to the state candidate list.
  • No background was found in fetched sources.
  • No campaign finance report or endorsements were found in fetched sources.

Sources for Bowen

Jennifer Craig

NonpartisanIncumbentWrite-in (who says so)

Declared write-in candidate for the Vienna Township seat; shares her name with the current board president, whose term ends in December 2026; listed as Nonpartisan [6, 24].

Craig's background

  • The district's board page lists a Jennifer Craig as board president, elected effective January 2019, with a term expiring December 2026; it says she works in procurement as a senior buyer for Morgan Foods in Austin [24].

Craig on the current officeholder

  • If she is the current board president, she has served on the board since January 2019 [24]. No public statement from her on the board's record was found.

How Craig got on the ballot

  • Filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate on Aug. 20, 2026, without declaring a party [6].
  • Her name will not be printed on the ballot; voters must write it in [6].

What we could not find about Craig

  • Possible match, not confirmed: the state list does not identify her as the incumbent, and the district page does not say which township seat the president holds.
  • Why she is running as a write-in rather than on the printed ballot was not found.
  • No questionnaire, forum remarks or public statement of positions was found.
  • No campaign finance report or endorsements were found in fetched sources.

Sources for Craig

Monty Craig

NonpartisanWrite-in

Declared write-in candidate for the Vienna Township seat; listed as Nonpartisan [6].

How Craig got on the ballot

  • Filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate on Aug. 19, 2026, without declaring a party [6].
  • The name will not be printed on the ballot; voters must write it in [6].

What we could not find about Craig

  • No candidate website, questionnaire response, forum remarks or public statement of positions was found; coverage found so far is limited to the state candidate list.
  • No background was found in fetched sources.
  • No campaign finance report or endorsements were found in fetched sources.

Sources for Craig

Key points

  • The district: Scott County School District 2 is based in Scottsburg; its schools include Lexington Elementary and Vienna-Finley Elementary. State enrollment counts were 2,634 students in 2018-19 and 2,538 in 2025-26. (Scott County School District 2)
  • The board: five trustees. (Scott County School District 2)
  • Referendum and budget: Scott County School District 2 is not among the districts with a school tax referendum on the November 2026 ballot. This guide found no public statement from the board on how the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) affects its budget. (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

  1. Indiana Code 20-26-5-4: Specific powers of governing body (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  2. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (School Board Offices) (Indiana Election Division)
  3. 800 school board seats are up for election in Indiana (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI)
  4. Why there are no education elections on your primary ballot (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  5. Indiana Code 20-26-4-7: Compensation of governing body members (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  6. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  7. Indiana Code 20-26-5-4.5: Selection and discharge of employees (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  8. School Tax Levy Referendum (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
  9. Indiana Code 20-29-6-4: Subjects of collective bargaining (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  10. Obscene, or just objectionable? Here's how Indiana schools are tackling library book complaints (Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism / Indiana Capital Chronicle)
  11. Indiana Code 20-33-8-19: Expulsion appeals (FindLaw (Indiana Code))
  12. Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-1: Open Door Law policy (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. What We Do (Indiana Public Access Counselor)
  14. Indiana Code 20-31-3-1: State academic standards (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  15. Indiana K-12 State Tuition Support Annual Report FY2023 (Indiana Department of Education)
  16. Indiana lawmakers expand voucher eligibility, increase school funding in budget (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  17. Indiana school board candidates split 50-50 on affiliating with a party (WNDU)
  18. 5 takeaways from Chalkbeat's panel on Indiana's changes to school board elections and referendums (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  19. Confusion on partisan school board law puts two IPS candidates' spots at risk (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  20. 2026 Indiana Election Legislation Summary (Indiana Election Division)
  21. Indiana school referendum elections: Districts seek funding for teacher pay, class size, buses (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  22. Indiana school district referendum guide 2026: What to know about your district's requested tax increase (WFYI and Chalkbeat Indiana (via WVXU))
  23. Indiana charter schools could now have an easier path to acquiring district buildings (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  24. School Board (Board of Trustees) (Scott County School District 2)
  25. Corporation Enrollment by Grade Level, 2006-26 (Indiana Department of Education)
  26. Referendum Information (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.